2003 Volkswagen GTI – Andy Crutcher

In recent years we’ve seen more instances of neon colors utilized to bring a splash of fun to otherwise sober European cars. And Andy Crutcher is just one of the latest Dub devotees who broke up his silver sled with a tinge of lime green, ensuring the appearance didn’t sour the performance.

When Andy took ownership of your GTI he began to modify it quickly. And while he appreciated the effectiveness of its stock 1.8T motor, he yearned for further and swapped in an R32 VR6 which had been bored to 3.3L. And what’s more: Everything done to the automobilemade out of forged JE pistons, Integrated Engineering rods, plus a ported and polished head. Timing on this powerful motor is handled by stage 2 GIAC programming, ensuring the engine delivers without interruption to the swapped six-speed transmission with its Peloquin LSD.

During the time of writing, Andy didn’t possess dyno figures but showed impressive acceleration during our photo shoot. And as a bonus, the tunnel we were shooting in enable the GTI slice its way through traffic while the 2.5 pipe rang gloriously in our ears.

Once he’d gone ahead with the engine work its was reined in by an OEM big-brake conversion. Eibach Pro-Street coilovers and sway bars kept the auto flat through the kink after the tunnel. The Falken rubber wrapped around 18 Schmidt Revolution Space Line rims brought poise and style as being the GTI.

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Even with its bright green wheels, the VW was more memorable thanks to its color-matched Weicher’s four-point rollcage. It contrasts the bamboo floors, trunk and dash that give an appealing counterpoint. On the outside, Andy deleted the hood and bumper notch, rear wiper and emblem. He then added Euro bumpers, Hofele R32 side skirts and OEM Euro front lip.

Despite its look-at-me highlights, this GTI has some authentic engine mods and exterior enhancements that raise it above most cars that choose simple wheel and suspension upgrades. And with a lot done in his home garage, you have to respect Andy’s ability to create something he can be proud of.